'Thirty-five years ago, farmers in Trujillo, Venezuela were startled when they heard a sonic boom.

'The following morning they found a large rock alongside a dead cow, whose neck and shoulder had been "pulverised" by the impact.

'This Sunday's sale, which has drawn interest from celebrity collectors including director Stephen Spielberg and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, will see the killer rock on sale next to a Georgia mailbox that sustained a blow from a "Special Delivery" meteorite in 1984.

'One of the highest-profile lots is a chunk of the famous Willamette meteorite, which is expected to fetch as much as $1.3m.'